Tuning peg for stringed musical instruments



Nov. 17, 1925- 1,561,566

B. T. PURDY TUNING PEG FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed July 20. 1923 Patented Nov. 17, 1925,

UNITED STATES BERTEAM THDMAS PUI'LDY, OF BBIOCKLEY, ENGLAND.

TUNING PEG FOB STRINGED IVZUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed July 20,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bun'rnimr THoMAs PURDY, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 56 lVhitbread Road, Brockley, in the county of Kent, England, have invented new and useful Im provements in Tuning Pegs for Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments and consists of an improved construction of tuning peg for such instruments.

The improved tuning peg is constructed as follows The improved peg, like an ordinary tuning peg, comprises a tapered body and a head at one end of said body. In the present instance, however, the body or shank is divided transversely thereof into two end portions and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being adapted to receive a string and to be rotated so as to tighten or slacken the string. The end portions of the shank are tapered and lit and are wedged into correspondingly tapered holes in the walls of the peg-box of the instrument, while the intermediate portion is secured to a spindle which is mounted in the other two parts and is rotatable in either direction by means of a worm wheel secured to its outer end and a worm engaging with said worm wheel and adapted to be rotated from outside the head of the peg.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a tuning peg constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section of the peg. Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of the same construction of tuning peg, seen from points of view at right angles to one another. Fig. 4 is an end view of the peg, seen from its outer end.

Referring now to these drawings, a designates the head, which is shown integral with one end portion Z) of the tapered shank. The other end portion of said shank is designated a, while cl designates the intermediate or central portion. The tapered peripheries of the end portions 6 and c of the peg, like the corresponding parts of an ordinary peg, engage with and grip correspondingly tapered holes in the walls of the pegboX of the instrument with which the peg is used, while the intermediate or central part [5 is formed with a hole 6 to take a string and 1923. Serial No. 652,666.

is mounted on a spindle f in such manner that it will turn with the spindle when the latter is rotated. The spindle f is supported in the end portions 5 and 0 of the shank and is rotated by means of a worm-wheel g secured to the spindle and a worm h engaging with said worm-wheel. The wormwheel is housed in a recess i in the head a of the peg and the shaft of the worm h is mounted in hearings in said head and is provided at one of its ends with a knurled headj to enable it to be readily rotated. The outer part of the recess 6 is closed by a plug is which is preferably formed with a bearing for supporting the outer end of the spindle f. The heads of the improved pegs, though they may be of other shape, are preferably made of a shape corresponding as nearly as possible to the shape of the heads of ordinary pegs, so that their appearance will harmonize with the scroll of the instrument with which they are used.

In use the improved pegs may, after strings have been passed through the holes provided in the central parts of the pegs, be rotated by means of their heads, so as to effect a preliminary tightening of the strings, after which they are wedged in the peg-box. When such preliminary tightening of the strings of an instrument has been effected the finer adjustments of the tensions of the strings necessary for the tuning of the instrument will be effected by the hand of the player by which the instrument is held, the worms mounted in the heads of the pegs being easily rotated by the thumb and fore finger of the hand, thus leaving the other hand of the player free for the bow of the violin or like instrument. The tension of any string can during playing be adjusted in like manner.

As there is no necessity in the case of the improved pegs to loosen a peg when it has been wedged into the holes provided for it in the peg-box of an instrument no wear of such holes will occur as is the case with ordinary pegs, thus saving the owner of an instrument fitted with the improved pegs the expense entailed by the re-trueing of the holes in the peg-box. Moreover the appearance of an instrument fitted with the improved pegs will be equal in all respects to that of an instrument in which ordinary pegs are used, as no fittings on the sides of the peg-box are necessary, the improved pegs being self-contained like ordinary pegs.

Having now particularly described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows l. A tuning peg for stringed instruments, comprising a tapered three part shank and an enlarged head integral with one part of said shank a spindle mounted for rotation in two of said shank parts, the remaining part being); secured to said spindle for rotation therewith. manually operable means carried by said head, and means between said manually operable means and spindle for rotating the latter.

2. A tuning pep; for stringed instruments,

con'iprising a tapered shank and an enlarged head,- said sh'a-nkbeing divided transversely into two end portions and an intermediate portion, a spindle mounted for rotation in said end portions, said intermediate portion being secured to the spindle for rotation 20 BERTRAM THOMAS PURDY. 

